Odisha Fisheries Officials Gain Technical Insights in CIFRI Training Workshop
26th July, 2025
Odisha, with its vast coastline, rivers, lakes, and ponds, has significant potential for increasing fish production. The Government of Odisha is also making an effort to increase fish production and productivity in both the Inland and Brackish water sectors, as well as to improve the livelihoods of its fisherfolk. A five-day training programme was organised by ICAR-CIFRI for the officials of the Department of Fisheries, Government of Odisha from 21-25 July, 2025. The objective of the programme was to enhance the knowledge and capacity of field-level officers in disease diagnosis and Laboratory Testing Techniques. The training module was specially designed for the young officials after assessing their training needs. This training initiative is part of CIFRI’s ongoing commitment to support state departments in strengthening their human resource for sustainable inland fisheries management. Twenty-nine officials, including fifteen female officials, joined the training workshop at CIFRI, Barrackpore.
A total of eleven classroom sessions, two practical sessions and two field exposure visits were conducted to build the capacity of the trainee officials. In the inauguration session, Dr. B.K Das, Director of CIFRI, emphasized the need for hands-on training and skill development of the young officials so that they can carry forward their knowledge and skills to the fishers to improve their livelihood in the respective state. After the inauguration, a laboratory visit was conducted. In the classroom session, topics like inland fisheries management, the importance of soil and water quality analysis, common fish diseases, fish disease diagnosis method, fish disease management in enclosure, pen culture, GIS application in fisheries, etc., were covered. A field visit was conducted to the East Kolkata Wetland, and an on-field practical session was also arranged there.
In the feedback session, 90% of the trainees expressed that they were highly satisfied and that the training programme was very effective and useful for enriching their professional careers. During the valedictory session, Dr Srikanta Samanta, Head, congratulated all the participants on their successful training and distributed the training completion certificates. The Training Programme was coordinated by Dr. Aparna Roy and Dr. Vikash Kumar with technical asupport from Shri Sujit Chowdhury, Shri Manabendra Roy, Dr. Avishek Saha, and Shri. Pankaj Kumar.
The training successfully built awareness and capacity among Odisha’s fisheries officials on the sustainable management and development of inland fisheries. CIFRI remains committed to supporting the state in translating scientific knowledge into on-ground impact for the benefit of fishers and the inland fisheries sector.